NOVPUBMeanwhile, under the cover of night’s cool breeze, Chen Xi and his men, without any knowledge, brushed past Liu Bei’s group who were resting at a farmer’s home not far away.
"What’s wrong, Zhongkang?" Liu Bei, who was reading under the moonlight, was startled by the surge of authority from Xuu Chu suddenly opening his eyes, interrupting his thoughts. He thus lifted his head and asked curiously.
"A hundred meters away, over a hundred riders passed by this place," Xuu Chu said, frowning. Marching at night wasn’t a significant matter, but over a hundred riders was indeed somewhat unusual.
"It’s likely our troops in a hurry for some urgent business. The daytime is always stiflingly hot, unbearable, but the night is cool and the moon is bright, a perfect time for marching," Liu Bei reasoned after a brief contemplation. "Did they stop?"
"They did not," Xuu Chu realized, and so he did not go outside to check. Otherwise, under such a clear moonlit sky, where one could read by the moonlight, his vision would have certainly allowed him to see Hua Xiong and his men.
"Then it’s alright; they’re probably occupied with military affairs," Liu Bei nodded and then picked up his book to continue reading.
Chen Xi, of course, had no idea that he had just passed by Liu Bei. He continued to order Hua Xiong to hasten to Donglai while taking advantage of the cool night.
"Zijian, don’t worry about the two of us, just move at full speed. A bit of jostling is much better than not obtaining a single craftsman from the Lul Family later on," Chen Xi told Hua Xiong, who seemed a bit concerned for him and Zhuge Liang.
"Understood!" Hua Xiong nodded, then with a wave of his hand, over a hundred riders formed into a compact Spearhead Formation, led by Hua Xiong at the forefront, bursting forth with a fiery red Cloud Qi, their speed sharply increasing. Hua Xiong was indeed an exceptional Cavalry Commander.
"Eh?" Just as Liu Bei had settled back into reading, he was once again startled by Xuu Chu’s surprised voice.
"What’s the matter, Zhongkang?" Liu Bei asked, puzzled. He noted that ever since Xuu Chu had followed him, such incongruities with his bodyguard role were rare.
"My Lord, I think I just sensed Zijian’s presence," Xuu Chu said with a frown, "But it was fleeting, and I might have been mistaken." The more Xuu Chu spoke, the less confident he sounded, scratching his head with embarrassment.
"Hahaha, Zijian is currently in Fenggao, using the Xiliang Iron Cavalry as a template to train our cavalry. How could he appear in the North Sea?" Liu Bei stood up, patted the robust back of Xuu Chu, and reassured him, "Zhongkang, go and rest. You’re tired."
"My Lord, Zhongkang is not tired," Xuu Chu spoke truthfully.
"Alright, go rest. I won’t read any longer either; I’m going to rest as well." Liu Bei closed his book and walked towards his room, leaving Xuu Chu standing in the courtyard, puzzled. Shaking his head, he also went back to his room to rest.
"Such exaggerated speed!" Zhuge Liang felt nauseous from the jolting but his eyes sparkled as he watched Hua Xiong leading the way. "This is also a type of ability, isn’t it? It seems like they’ve greatly enhanced their strength and speed."
"Hahaha, this is my ability, indeed. The impact force of the Xiliang Iron Cavalry I lead is much stronger than others’," Hua Xiong said without turning his head, hearing Zhuge Liang’s words. 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘱𝘶𝑏.𝑐𝘰𝑚
"It’s a pity that even so, the difficulty of charging in formation is still very high." As he spoke these words, Hua Xiong was clearly dejected. Although the Xiliang Iron Cavalry is renowned for its impact force and is best at trampling formations, without the tall bridge saddle and horseshoes, the Xiliang Iron Cavalry’s ability to charge in formation is at best decent, even under the command of Hua Xiong.
"Don’t worry, Zijian, this problem can actually be solved. It’s just not the right time yet. Until we have our own horse-producing lands, I can only seal this knowledge away," Chen Xi, jostled uncomfortably, said loudly, gasping for air in the hot weather, "Once we have the horse-producing lands, you will understand the true use of the Xiliang Iron Cavalry. For now, it’s not possible. If we were to reveal it, we would have great difficulty managing the situation!"
The horseshoe, which protects the horse’s hoof, doesn’t have much use in this world, but the significance of the tall bridge saddle and stirrups for cavalry cannot be denied. With these two things, the Tugi Cavalry, famous for their impact force, could truly be effective, and cavalry capable of fighting ten infantrymen could finally take proper shape.
However, it’s a pity that these two items are too simple. The tall bridge saddle and stirrups are more about the Han Dynasty people not thinking in that direction, rather than being unable to make them. Chen Xi could say that as long as he dared to introduce them, no matter how secretively, unless those who saw them were all killed, it would only take one military campaign for all the Feudal Lords to be equipped with such gear.
Increasing enemy combat power is not one of Chen Xi’s hobbies, and Liu Bei, without horse-producing lands, had no need to introduce this kind of technology.
That’s precisely why Chen Xi had already decided to wait until later, when Liu Bei occupied Jizhou and had horse-producing lands, to reveal these enhancements. Otherwise, it would be too much of a power boost for the remnants of Yuan Shao and Dong Zhuo. For now, he’d rather slow down the training speed of the cavalry than give anyone else a chance to copy them.
"Then I will thank the strategist in advance," Hua Xiong shouted into the wind, having dealt with Chen Xi for a long time, he naturally believed Chen Xi wasn’t just teasing him.
"You’ll understand when the time comes," Chen Xi retracted his body and said loudly, barely able to endure the jolting anymore; indeed, it was time to build roads.
[These roads are truly a problem. The issue with cement is rather substantial. Roman mortar-like low-quality cement, how to deal with volcanic ash? Are we really going to resort to using rammed earth, what kind of joke is this?] Chen Xi thought back to his orders to the kilns to produce lime, but until now, no usable cement had been developed. Perhaps the technology was too advanced, after all.
[This is so frustrating. If it’s a semi-finished product, then so be it. Let’s build the roads first, no more researching. Mixing lime with sand to lay bricks for paving is what it comes down to!] Chen Xi, close to vomiting from the jolting, finally made up his mind. According to his estimates, the technology for cement might not be achievable. For now, he planned to make do with a semi-finished Roman mortar—rammed earth for the foundation and semi-finished mortar for gluing the bricks directly in place. Truly, only personal experience can make someone understand the importance of an issue.
"Kongming, what do you think Qingzhou of Mount Tai is still missing, of course, aside from what we are currently working on, let’s talk about something else? It could also distract us from the bumpiness; maybe it won’t feel as bad," Chen Xi, half-dead from the tossing, asked. He really just wanted to distract himself.
"The biggest problem is that official positions are not clearly defined," Zhuge Liang didn’t think of using this method as a distraction and went straight to the point.
"That goes without saying. Once Lord Xuande becomes the General of the East and gains recognition from the Imperial Clan, he has always said he would establish his own office to clearly define the official duties of each position. But then, one thing after another has come up and there has never been a good opportunity. However, after this Yellow Turbans incident, Lord Xuande will probably be able to spare the time to establish his office," Chen Xi waved his hand as he spoke, for this matter had been discussed for a long time.
Speaking of which, Lub Su had noticed the issue with official positions and duties a long time ago, but he did not bring it up, waiting for Liu Bei to establish his office. There was also a part where Chen Xi often assigned tasks across different responsibilities. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please go to m.qidian.com to read.)
